All Class Build

[Iguanodon]

I want to build a character that multiclasses to every core 5e class. I know these threads come up every so often but I haven't seen one for a while, so here goes.

Requirements:

Fun to play, Doesn't feel useless in combat or social interaction
Must be playable from level 1 until 20. I know you guys love your level 20 builds, but if you die at level 3 they aren't relevant. What order to take the classes in?
Standard array only (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8).
Stick to PHB if possible (not strictly necessary).
Doesn't need to be good, just adequate (i.e. no worse than a single-class character a few levels lower). Should at least be relevant in a party of four with all other characters single-classed.
At least one level of each class.


In order to make full use of the Monk/Barbarian abilities I know that armor is a no-no, and Monk weapons are probably the best bet. Apart from that, anyone have any cool ideas? Which race? What order to take levels in? How to not suck?

EDIT: Minor clarification

[Corran]

Can a character with 8 in constitution fullfill any of the requirements you set? You also need at least an ASI before you can meet all the requiremens for multiclassing in and out of every class. So that means yu need to take at least 4 levels in a class before you multiclass in your last one.

[Iguanodon]

Is an ASI necessary, or is there a race with good enough bonuses for that?

[Corran]

To multiclass to every class you need a 13 in str, dex, int, wis and cha. Putting your 8 in con, and assuming you raise that 12 to 13 via race, you are left with a 10. Assuming this 10 is pumped to 12 via race again, you still need an ASI or feat to pump it to at least 13.

[RickAllison]

Is an ASI necessary, or is there a race with good enough bonuses for that?

An ASI is necessary if you want it to use standard array rather than just point buy. The maximum you can get from a race is 2 for an ability score, so that 10 can get up to 12, which is not sufficient for MCing. It does mean that only one ASI is necessary so long as at least one point from race goes into the 10 ability.

EDIT: Ninja'd!

[DrIllidan]

I've always kind of liked these thought experiments--fun to think about, even if I will never build this character. Lets go over your points one-by-one.

Warning: Lengthy and probably too deep analysis follows.


Requirements:

Standard array only (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8).



People are right to bring up multiclass stat requirements as a concern, but those requirements do NOT apply if you start in a particular class--otherwise dexterity barbarians and paladins wouldn't be a thing. Fortunately for you, there is a stat that is only used by one class--intelligence is only used by wizards, and INT is not a requirement for multiclassing into any of the other options. So if you put your 12 into a stat that's boosted by your race, you will be able to meet the requirements to take a level in any other class as long as you start as a wizard and you put your 10 and your 8 into constitution and intelligence. I would suggest putting the 8 in intelligence, because who doesn't dump it? Plus, that would make you a pretty bad wizard, perhaps providing your character with some incentive to try something new after years of failure.

EDIT: Thanks to Rhaegar for correctly pointing out that I am mistaken here--you will need INT 13 at some point. This probably means you want to take something like Fighter first instead, or something that gives you the save proficiencies you want.



Requirements:

Fun to play, Doesn't feel useless in combat or social interaction



Two elements here, so lets go over them individually, starting with combat tactics. First, consider what you will be doing in combat on your own turn. You will have a decent amount of spell slots throughout the whole game due to having lots of caster levels, but you will have very few if any higher level spells. Thus, having first level of spells that scale well would be nice. Warlocks have a number of these on their list (Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke, etc.), and they have a great at-will damage source that scales with character level, Eldritch Blast. Since you will have lots of levels overall but barely any class levels, EB is probably your best bet for always having something useful to do in combat. Therefore, I'd take two levels of Warlock after wizard to pick up the Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast invocations. Since this is your primary thing, I would therefore put your 15 (or maybe 14, depending on race selection) into charisma.

Second thing that's combat related is how you plan on defending yourself. Since this build puts your highest ability score in charisma, you probably want to wear medium armor, so taking a level in a class that gives you that proficiency early is a good idea (I'd recommend Fighter, as the second level gives you Action Surge, which you will want). I probably would just consider the unarmored defense class features a lost cause--you just won't have the stats to get a decent AC out of them.

But let's also talk about social interaction. In this build, you have decent charisma and can thus make a decent face. Taking a level in rogue relatively early also gives you expertise in 2 skills, which can turn you into a good party face. If someone else in the party has that covered, taking expertise in stealth, knowledge skills, or something else will make you at least passable in those areas.


Requirements:

Must be playable from level 1 until 20. I know you guys love your level 20 builds, but if you die at level 3 they aren't relevant. What order to take the classes in?



Thinking about how to be useful has already answered this question, for the most part: Wizard 1, Warlock 2-3, Fighter 4-5, Rogue 6, whatever else after. I would, however, consider two things I haven't mentioned: which classes have appealing low-level features or spells, and which classes prohibit your other options. I like Cleric the most, as Cleric of Life gives you INSANE healing power via Goodberry (which you can get from Druid or Ranger) if your DM approves of that cheese (which is RAW). Even without that, the Cleric domains probably give you the best low-level options, as Bless is a great 1st-level spell (that isn't affected by your casting mod) at all points of the game due to bounded accuracy.

The only class that should give you pause to take a level in is Druid, as the prohibition on metal armor could be troublesome, depending on how the DM rules its impact and such. Otherwise, Barbarian, Monk, Paladin, and Ranger have very little to offer and should probably be taken last. I would throw Sorcerer in there, but you might want Metamagic from it after three levels so that you can pair the possibility of Goodberry cheese with quickened Eldritch Blast cheese, which should make your DM happy /s.


Requirements:

Stick to PHB if possible (not strictly necessary).
Doesn't need to be good, just adequate (i.e. no worse than a single-class character a few levels lower). Should at least be relevant in a party of four with all other characters single-classed.
At least one level of each class.

In order to make full use of the Monk/Barbarian abilities I know that armor is a no-no, and Monk weapons are probably the best bet. Apart from that, anyone have any cool ideas? Which race? What order to take levels in? How to not suck?


These are pretty easy to meet using just the description above, and if your DM actually allows the MC cheese I mentioned, your character will probably keep up fine, though bumping charisma at some point would be nice. I will say, though, that I think monk weapons are unlikely to be terribly useful--their damage scales with monk level, and monks really need lots of Ki to flurry and use all of their cool abilities to keep up with the party... and your Ki pool also scales with monk level. You won't get a lot of monk levels, but you will have a lot of character levels, which is why I think EB is your best option. Also, you just don't have the stats to get decent AC from unarmored defense, so I'd just use armor and act like I don't even have the feature from either of those classes.

Race doesn't really matter, as any could work, though something with a bonus to charisma is nice. Half-elf is probably the "strongest," but pick something that appeals to you!

TL;DR Build:

Half-Elf with 16 CHA (14+2 racial boost), 16 WIS (15+1 racial boost), 13 DEX, 13 STR (12+1 racial boost), 10 CON, 8 INT

Class order, assuming you want as much MC as possible while remaining a valuable party member:
Wizard 1
Warlock 2-3
Fighter 4-5
Rogue 6 (last "important" option)
Cleric 7
Sorcerer 8-10
Bard 11
Ranger 12
Druid 13
Paladin 14
Monk 15
Barbarian 16
Warlock 17-18 (for a total of four warlock levels)
Sorcerer 19 (for a total of four sorcerer levels)
Barbarian 20, just because you've had quite a work out to get to this point and your PC is now ripped

Important spell and ability pick-ups: Eldritch Blast, Agonizing and Repelling blast invocations, and good-scaling first level spells. This build order also allows you to use both quicken-EB cheese and Goodberry-Life Cleric cheese, but it's still a decent order even if those are prohibited.

I'd roleplay this as a guy or girl that was so frustrated with his or her life pursuit of becoming a master of magic that they turned to the Dark Arts, and then were so good at it that they decided to try a bunch of other stuff they could potentially be very good at, until deciding nope, the Dark Arts are where its at.

[Rhaegar14]

People are right to bring up multiclass stat requirements as a concern, but those requirements do NOT apply if you start in a particular class--otherwise dexterity barbarians and paladins wouldn't be a thing. Fortunately for you, there is a stat that is only used by one class--intelligence is only used by wizards, and INT is not a requirement for multiclassing into any of the other options. So if you put your 12 into a stat that's boosted by your race, you will be able to meet the requirements to take a level in any other class as long as you start as a wizard and you put your 10 and your 8 into constitution and intelligence. I would suggest putting the 8 in intelligence, because who doesn't dump it? Plus, that would make you a pretty bad wizard, perhaps providing your character with some incentive to try something new after years of failure.

Full disclosure, I haven't read the rest of your long post, but you're entirely wrong about this piece. Dex Barbarian and Paladin work because typically people don't multiclass out of those builds. PHB pg. 163: "To qualify for a new class, you must meet the ability score prerequisites for both your current class and your new one..." So you do need the 13s across the board.

[Alerad]

Start as a Half-elf:
Con 8+1
Cha 10+2
??? 12+1
??? 13
??? 14
??? 15

Get 6 levels in Fighter which gives you extra attck and 2 ASI:
Con +1, Cha +1, two other abilities +1 to make them even.
1x 16 (+3), 2x 14 (+2), 1x 13 (+1), Cha 13 (+1), Con 10 (+0)

After that you'll have 10 Constitution and at least 13 in all other ability scores. Maybe take 2 levels in Warlock for Eldritch blast and invocations and then 1 level in each other class.

[JellyPooga]

With 12 Classes, we're going to have to prioritize which Classes are worth taking multiple levels of. Some Classes will have to be only a single level. So the question is; which Classes work with only one level?

Barbarian - This is pretty solid, but not great. Rage and Unarmoured AC are a nice dip, but don't mesh well with other Class features so much. Level 2 Gives us Reckless Attack, which again doesn't mesh well with other classes that well, plus Danger Sense; solid defensive buff. On the whole, though? Barbarian is giving us d12 HP and not a lot else.

Bard - 2nd level is where Bard really starts. Bardic Inspiration (D6) and some spells known is nothing to shout about. Jack of All Trades is. We want 2 levels.

Cleric - This is a Class we can definitely get away with a single level dip. Level 2 is nice, but not entirely necessary.

Druid - This Class needs level 2 to be in anyway useful. Otherwise it's just a bad way to learn some more Cantrips.

Fighter - Action Surge, Action Surge, Action Surge! Level 2 required.

Monk - This one is an "optional extras" sort of deal. Level 1, 2 and 3 all give nice benefits. This is an "icing" Class, IMO.

Paladin - Level 2 or go home.

Ranger - Ditto

Rogue - Level 1 gives us a lot. Level 2 is nice, but not essential.

Sorcerer - I'm tempted to say Level 3 is where it's at on this one. We could get away with 2, but a 1-level dip is certainly not worth taking.

Warlock - Two levels are pretty much required to be worth taking, but those 2 levels give you a lot of flexibility.

Wizard - We want that Arcane Tradition; 2 levels minimum.

So where does that leave us?
Barbarian, Cleric, Monk and Rogue can all definitely be left at the starting gate. That leaves us with 2 levels in every other Class...

...which isn't possible due to Multiclassing Requirements, because we won't have any ASI's to play with. Taking less than 2 levels in any of the other 8 Classes simply isn't worth the time taking the 1st level, really, which defeats the purpose of multiclassing.

Using Point-Buy it's possible, but not Standard Array.

Standard Human (27pt-buy)
Str:13+1, Dex:13+1, Con:10+1, Int:13+1, Wis:13+1, Cha:13+1

You've got a +2 modifier across the board, with the exception of Con. This is a good place to start.

Level 1: Barbarian (1)- It's as good a place to start as any and gives you some in-built survivability. If nothing else, you're going to need it!
Level 2: Rogue (1)- Boom! You're a grapple-monkey, Sneak Attack-ing, bad-A homey. Rockin' it up with the best of them, with Expertise in Athletics and Stealth.
Level 3: Monk (1)- Shortsword at the ready, you've got 2 attacks a round and are pumping out 3d6+8 damage a turn in full-on Rage mode.
Level 4-5: Fighter (2)- Let's get Action Surge online and daddy needs a few more HP. Our low AC is starting to hurt. Damage output just went up by +2/attack (Dueling FS).
Level 6-7: Paladin (2)- Smite! Spells! Great Weapon Fighting Style! Oh wait...I'm not so excited about that last one...
Level 8-9: Ranger (2)- Archery! more Spells! Hunters Mark!
Level 10-11: Warlock (2)- Pact Magic for Energizer Bunny Smiting. Invocations are nice. Don't waste your time with Hex though (you've already got Hunters Mark).
Level 12-13: Bard (2)- This is all about Jack of All Trades.
Level 14+: Whatever. You're just playing with Caster-Classes at this point. You'll get a butt-ton of Cantrips and Level 1 Spells Known, so all you really care about is the Class Features (Portent from Wizard 2, is particularly tasty) and the Spell Slots for Smiting.

This Build is actively quite good up to about level 5-7, but starts sliding off after that. Once you hit level 10 you're really going to start feeling ineffective.

You'll be wanting as many "set X Stat to 19" magic items as you can get you mitts on, too.

[Alerad]

Update on my previous idea - I think I'll go like this:
Eldritch Knight 6 - Fighting style Dueling
Barbarian 2 - Reckless attack, danger sense, rage
Paladin 2 - Smite, Fighting style +1AC
Warlock 2 - Hex, Eldritch blast, 2 1st level spells per short rest, Invocations (Disguise self + one more, NOT agonizing blast because of low Charisma)
12 levels in total for 4 classes

All other classes - 1 level (8 total)

With 16 Strength, 14 Dex, 14 Int/Wis, 13 Wis/Int, 13 Cha, 10 Con

20 AC (Half plate 15 + 2 Dex + 2 Shield + 1 Protection)
+5 Shield (when not raging)

Wielding rapier 1d8+5 damage (+7 when raging, +1d6 if Sneak attack is applicable)

Has a total of 8 levels of spellcasters (EK +2, Paladin +1, Wiz/Sor/Cle/Dru/Bard +5) for 4th level spell slots for smites and shields. Unfortunately has only access to 1st level spells.

[PoeticDwarf]

First 4 warlock so you always have a good damage source and ASI. Then 2 rogue or 3 rogue. Some sorcerer and 1 level in every other class

[Citan]

Hi OP :)

Love this kind of threads, I had also thought about this.
@DrIllidan: unfortunately you're wrong, you also need to meet the multiclass requirements if you go "out" of your class.

So, let's bypass the stat requirement for just a bit.
Obviously, your character will be never a true caster, not even a half-caster in the sense that you will have access to only 1st, 2nd spells.
With that said, he will have a decent amount of spell slots. So he has to get a nice use for them.

He will never be a great martial neither, because he'll never get high-level abilities. At the most he will access maybe Extra Attack.
So, he will probably rely on cantrips, hence a need for a good cantrip.

Final thought, how many classes are they in PHB?
Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard. 12 classes.

So...
Good attack cantrip = Eldricht Blast.
Good use of spell slots for a "third/quarter caster" is smite and defense spells.
Meaning obviously Warlock 2 & Paladin 2.
Fighter 1: Fighting Style (2 would be nice for Action Surge but we'll review this later).
Still 15 levels for 9 classes.
Druid's Wildshape could be nice, but even Moon Druid's CR1 will fall out at higher levels so let's not consider this.
So Druid 1, meaning Life Cleric 1 to get Goodberries cheese.
Still 13 levels for 7 classes.
Diviner Wizard 2 seems an obvious choice, because of mediocre stats you'll need the reroll ability.
Still 11 levels for 6 classes.
Let's take at least one level in all remaining.
Barb 1: brings Rage which can be situationnaly good, especially at lower levels where you don't have spellcasting.
Bard 1: brings only a bit in terms of spellcasting. 2nd level would be better for Jack of all Trades...
Monk 1: brings unfortunately absolutely nothing useful at this level, considering the stats. Just a dead level.
Ranger 1: Same thing.
Rogue 1: extra 1d6 and Expertise. Nice!
Sorcerer 1: obviously Draconic Sorcerer is the best choice here for the +1HP, although Storm could have been a choice.

So we're left with 5 levels.
What to do with it?
Many interesting things could be done by dipping another level somewhere.
Fighter brings Action Surge
Bard brings Jack of All Trades.
Rogue brings Cunning Action.
Warlock brings the Pact.

BUT, coming back to the stat problem, we all agree that without rolling good stats, we'll need at least 1 ASI.
Also, the mediocre stats means that we'll need as much protection as we can.
So, I'd say the safest bet would be to up Paladin up to Ancients 7 for +CHA to saves and magic resistance. Extra Attack and melee cantrip will be redundant for a time though with Extra Attack losing weight later (unless magic equipment or party buff).

Second choice, go Devotion Paladin 6 (+CHA to saves, +CHA to attack) and use the last level on...
Bard to be better in skills,
Rogue to gain useful mobility to survive,
Warlock for Tome Pact and use Shillelagh (meaning you can become decent at melee damage).

Third choice, forego Extra Attack and saves totally and go...

1. Rogue 5 for extra SA damage, Cunning Action and Uncanny Dodge. Obviously Swashbukcler and AT are the best archetypes here. Rogue 6 for Expertise or Bard 2 for Jack of All Trades...

2. Draconic Sorcerer 6
You rely entirely on your GFB melee cantrip for damag, you get a few meta points to twin buffs and such.

3. Fighter 6
Extra Attack and 2 ASI.

Other choice may be meaningful but complicated enough to build and play. I'm not sure we'd need it. :)

My own choice would probably be Paladin 6 and Warlock 3, because I like having pretty decent in ranged (EB) and melee (Shillelagh) alike as well as a decent degree of tankiness.
So then, how to build it?
Simply Paladin 6 / Fighter 1 / Rogue 1 / Barb 1 / Warlock 3 / Everything else 1.
TL;DR: Devotion Paladin 6 / Undying Light Tome Warlock 3 / Diviner Wizard 2 / Else 1.
Alleviates the needs for high stats thanks to CHA on everything (protection and attack roll from Paladin, attack stat and cantrip from Warlock). From the other classes, Cleric+Druid make Goodberries cheese, Rogue and Bard brings extra skills, Fighter brings another Fighting Style (CQS could be nice, otherwise Dueling or Defense), Draconic Sorcerer and Barb brings a bit of protection. Wizard 2 is here for reroll as emergency. Ranger and Monk bring basically nothing unfortunately.
Character has 2 lvl2 short-rest slots, as well as a spellcaster level of 9, which he can spend on numerous nice lvl1 buffs/debuff/protection. He even gets a few lvl 2 spells (Warlock and Paladin).

[PeteNutButter]

Pretty obvious your best damage is going to be eldritch blast.
Half Elf 13, 14, 9, 15, 12, 12
rogue 4 (assassin) bump cha and wis 1 each and you have met all MC requirements
warlock 2
sorcerer 4 just bump cha from here on
fighter 2

at level 12 you can invis to sneak up to a good hiding position on a target, drop invis once your well hidden, cast hex, and use your assinate ability from 3rd lvl rogue to autocrit with 3 Eldritch blasts 9 rays total via blast, quickened blast, action surge blast. That's 9*(2d10+2d6 hex + 2 for 14 cha) damage averaging to 180 damage.

Your 8 remaining lvls are 1 dip and the 8 remaining classes, and your damage will spike up at 17th lvl when u get another ray and whenever you get high enough spell slots that a scorching ray or two would deal more than one of the blasts.

This isn't just playable, its the deadliest party member as long as you can get the drop on the enemy.

[RickAllison]

Pretty obvious your best damage is going to be eldritch blast.
Half Elf 13, 14, 9, 15, 12, 12
rogue 4 (assassin) bump cha and wis 1 each and you have met all MC requirements
warlock 2
sorcerer 4 just bump cha from here on
fighter 2

at level 12 you can invis to sneak up to a good hiding position on a target, drop invis once your well hidden, cast hex, and use your assinate ability from 3rd lvl rogue to autocrit with 3 Eldritch blasts 9 rays total via blast, quickened blast, action surge blast. That's 9*(2d10+2d6 hex + 2 for 14 cha) damage averaging to 180 damage.

Your 8 remaining lvls are 1 dip and the 8 remaining classes, and your damage will spike up at 17th lvl when u get another ray and whenever you get high enough spell slots that a scorching ray or two would deal more than one of the blasts.

This isn't just playable, its the deadliest party member as long as you can get the drop on the enemy.

I really like this build (especially without the other classes :smallbiggrin:). The one correction I must make is minor, just that you couldn't use two Scorching Rays and have any EBs. You can't take any spells higher than cantrip level with a bonus action spell in the same turn, so you could do Scorching Ray + 2X EB (bonus + 2 actions), 3X EB, or 2X Scorching Ray (2 actions, cannot take a bonus action spell). This might be incorrect, but I think it's right. Otherwise, looks just fine to me!

[DrIllidan]

Full disclosure, I haven't read the rest of your long post, but you're entirely wrong about this piece. Dex Barbarian and Paladin work because typically people don't multiclass out of those builds. PHB pg. 163: "To qualify for a new class, you must meet the ability score prerequisites for both your current class and your new one..." So you do need the 13s across the board.

Yeah, you are absolutely right. I'm a little red-cheeked right now--that's up there with not realizing the archdruid description continues onto the next page of the PHB on the scale of embarrassment.

Thanks for the correction. I still believe EB is probably the best way to go, but this does put a great deal more restrictions on your race selection and where you put your stats.

[Belac93]

I would say this:

Half elf, scores STR 13, CON 13, DEX 13, INT 13, WIS 13, CHA 14
Level 1 Warlock 1, fiend pact. Eldritch blast + hex.
Level 2 Warlock 2, agonizing blast, armor of shadows.
Level 3 Paladin 1.
Level 4 Paladin 2, smites, dueling fighting style.
Level 5 Sorcerer 1, wild magic
Level 6 Sorcerer 2, spell points.
Level 7 Sorcerer 3, meta-magic, quickened spells.
Level 8 Sorcerer 4, ability score increase. Con and Dex to 14.
Level 9 Fighter 1, defense fighting style
Level 10 Fighter 2, action surge.
Level 11 Wizard 1
Level 12 Wizard 2, Abjuration for arcane ward.
Level 13rogue 1, sneak attack.
Level 14rogue 2, cunning action
Level 15Druid 1, goodberry
Level 16Cleric 1, life/war.
Level 17Bard 1
Level 18Barbarian 1
Level 19Monk 1
Level 20Ranger 1
This build will give you (In breastplate) 18 AC, if you are unarmored you can use Mage armor a couple times to recharge your arcane ward, Cleric will either give you extra attacks or an extra 40 healing per level 1 spell slot with goodberry. You would have +10 to hit with melee, same with spells, and a spell save DC of 16, eldritch blast + hex gives up to 4d10+4d6+8 damage.

Smites+sneak attack+action surge+quickened thunderous smite+dueling+rapier would give you, at the cost of a 2 1st level spell slots, 6d8+3d6+4, an average of 41.5 damage. Not the best, but decent. Almost all that damage can be done by level 10, minus the sneak attack.

You are also a level 9 spellcaster, and level 2 pact magic user.

[PeteNutButter]

I really like this build (especially without the other classes :smallbiggrin:). The one correction I must make is minor, just that you couldn't use two Scorching Rays and have any EBs. You can't take any spells higher than cantrip level with a bonus action spell in the same turn, so you could do Scorching Ray + 2X EB (bonus + 2 actions), 3X EB, or 2X Scorching Ray (2 actions, cannot take a bonus action spell). This might be incorrect, but I think it's right. Otherwise, looks just fine to me!

I suppose you are right. Action surge generally gets around this rule, since you aren't using a bonus action, but if you ALSO use a bonus action via a quickened spell you have to follow it. So that's 5+4+4 rays. 13 Rays. If you actually kept going in sorcerer all the way up you could get 15 rays all together. Too bad I couldn't get the Rayman to 17... definately 17

[RickAllison]

I suppose you are right. Action surge generally gets around this rule, since you aren't using a bonus action, but if you ALSO use a bonus action via a quickened spell you have to follow it. So that's 5+4+4 rays. 13 Rays. If you actually kept going in sorcerer all the way up you could get 15 rays all together. Too bad I couldn't get the Rayman to 17... definately 17

Absolutely! It still works out really well with the Quickened Scorching Ray + 2 EBs, so your point is extremely valid (and stolen, by the way :smallwink:).

[Iguanodon]

Wow, all sorts of great ideas here!

I guess I'll give it a shot. Here, I'm trying for a strength-based unarmored approach. I'm trying to avoid Eldritch Blast, too.

Race: Standard Human
Starting stats: Str 15+1, Dex 14+1, Con 8+1, Int 10+1, Wis 12+1, Cha 13+1

Weapons: Greatsword (primary), shortsword (secondary, for use with Martial Arts and Sneak Attack), javelins (ranged option)
Armor: None (could probably get away with light armor, but I like having 50ft of movement instead of 40ft)

Barbarian 1-2 - Rage, Unarmored Defense, Reckless Attack
Sorcerer 1 - Draconic (13+Dex unarmored AC is better than the 10+Dex+Wis from Monk and the 10+Con+Dex from Barb)
Paladin 1-2 - LoH, Smites, Fighting Style (GWF for greatsword)
Barbarian 3-5 - Bear Totem (Berserker would suck in a build with such a busy bonus action), ASI (+2 Int for Wizard), Extra Attack (level 8 is a bit late for this but it'll do), Fast Movement
Fighter 1-2 - Fighting Style (Archery, for use with javelins), 2nd Wind, Action Surge
Monk 1-2 - Unarmored Movement (stacks with the Barb's Fast Movement for 50ft total), Ki (FoB still works even with a greatsword out, and the other ki abilities aren't too bad either)
Wizard 1-2 - Portent (to make up for our low stats in the high levels)
Druid 1 - Goodberry, no metal armor
Life Cleric 1 - Cheeseberry
Bard 1 - Bardic Inspiration (d6)
Rogue 1 - Expertise, Sneak Attack (useless for us, though we would have a backup shortsword)
Warlock 1 - GOO (for utility and flavor)
Ranger 1 - Favored Enemy (oozes)

Summary:
Str-based greatsword fighter with Extra Attack, Action Surge, Rage, damage resistances, smites, healing, Portent, telepathy, and a butt-ton of mobility.

AC: 15 (13+Dex from Draconic Sorcerer)
Hit points at level 20: 4d12+4d10+8d8+3d6-7
Spellcasting: As an 8th-level caster
Pact Magic: As a 1st-level warlock

[PeteNutButter]

Absolutely! It still works out really well with the Quickened Scorching Ray + 2 EBs, so your point is extremely valid (and stolen, by the way :smallwink:).

I post OP builds online so people can take them and play them, and inflate the build pool. That way when I play something insane, my teammates don't hate me. :smallbiggrin:

[JellyPooga]

Another workable build is as follows;

1) Barbarian 1 - That early survivability kicking in from the get. Rage is nice.
2-3) Druid (Moon) 2 - Be a Brown Bear while it's still good to be so. Enjoy superior Strength than your build will otherwise allow and the best tanking in the game (Wild Shape + Rage = you never die). Also enjoy a half-decent AC in Wild Shape because 10+Dex+Con is frequently better than Natural AC. You also still appreciate 1st level spells at this stage of the game.
4-5) Ranger 2 - Let's stick with the Nature theme (why not?); Hunters Mark gives you a solid damage boost. Skills take a decidedly positive angle. You get 2nd level Spell Slots (which is more than an Eldritch Knight or Arcane Trickster can claim), even though you don't have access to 2nd level spells.
6) Rogue 1 - Expertise in Athletics is the only thing you're really looking for here. Rock the Grapple boat while it's still relevant.
7-8) Paladin 2 - Wild Shape is starting to look lacklustre for damage output; pick up a weapon and start laying waste with Smite. You likely have access to some decent Magic Items at this point to make this viable.
9) Cleric 1 - Full Casters have 4th level spells at this point. You want to catch up. A level of Cleric provides tangible Class Features and bumps you up to 3rd level Spell Slots. At your option, you can opt for Heavy Armour (Domain dependent), or stick with the Medium Armour you've been wearing all along.
10-11) Warlock 2 - By this point you've decided you like Smiting and would like to do it more often. Pact Magic is your friend. Invocations are (still) nice.
12-15) Fighter (Battlemaster) 5 - We like HP. Everyone else has had at least 3 ASI's and you haven't had one. We also like Action Surge and Maneuvers. It's about damned time we got Extra Attack too.
16-17) Wizard 2 - Choose a school. Love it. We've got 4th level spell slots...hooray!
18) Bard 1 - Spellcasting
19) Sorcerer 1 - Spellcasting (5th level slots! We're officially a better caster than EK/AT)
20) Monk 1 - Worst. Capstone. Ever. But we had to cram it in there somewhere...right?

[McNinja]

Another workable build is as follows;

19) Sorcerer 1 - Spellcasting (5th level slots! We're officially a better caster than EK/AT)
Actually I'm pretty sure you would have 6th level spells once you take this first level of sorcerer.

[Citan]

Another workable build is as follows;

1) Barbarian 1 - That early survivability kicking in from the get. Rage is nice.
2-3) Druid (Moon) 2 - Be a Brown Bear while it's still good to be so. Enjoy superior Strength than your build will otherwise allow and the best tanking in the game (Wild Shape + Rage = you never die). Also enjoy a half-decent AC in Wild Shape because 10+Dex+Con is frequently better than Natural AC. You also still appreciate 1st level spells at this stage of the game.
4-5) Ranger 2 - Let's stick with the Nature theme (why not?); Hunters Mark gives you a solid damage boost. Skills take a decidedly positive angle. You get 2nd level Spell Slots (which is more than an Eldritch Knight or Arcane Trickster can claim), even though you don't have access to 2nd level spells.
6) Rogue 1 - Expertise in Athletics is the only thing you're really looking for here. Rock the Grapple boat while it's still relevant.
7-8) Paladin 2 - Wild Shape is starting to look lacklustre for damage output; pick up a weapon and start laying waste with Smite. You likely have access to some decent Magic Items at this point to make this viable.
9) Cleric 1 - Full Casters have 4th level spells at this point. You want to catch up. A level of Cleric provides tangible Class Features and bumps you up to 3rd level Spell Slots. At your option, you can opt for Heavy Armour (Domain dependent), or stick with the Medium Armour you've been wearing all along.
10-11) Warlock 2 - By this point you've decided you like Smiting and would like to do it more often. Pact Magic is your friend. Invocations are (still) nice.
12-15) Fighter (Battlemaster) 5 - We like HP. Everyone else has had at least 3 ASI's and you haven't had one. We also like Action Surge and Maneuvers. It's about damned time we got Extra Attack too.
16-17) Wizard 2 - Choose a school. Love it. We've got 4th level spell slots...hooray!
18) Bard 1 - Spellcasting
19) Sorcerer 1 - Spellcasting (5th level slots! We're officially a better caster than EK/AT)
20) Monk 1 - Worst. Capstone. Ever. But we had to cram it in there somewhere...right?
Hey, interesting build, I didn't think about this approach.
Agreed about Monk, unfortunately this class is too heavy-dependant on ki points to be useful unless dipping at least 5-6 levels.
By the way, sorry to say that but you made a mistake in your build:
you say Fighter 5 but you actually only level up 4 levels (12-13-14-15) meaning ASI but not Extra Attack. That's one of the reasons in my build I chose to up Paladin instead (only 3 more levels to get Extra Attack).
Otherwise, I'd say the best class to pick the missing level from would be Ranger (you get Hex from Warlock, so swap order of leveling and you're good) or, probably better imo, Warlock.
Because Ranger 2 brings Fighting Style in addition to a caster level.
Whereas Warlock 2 brings only another lvl 1 short-rest, and Invocations which are not strictly required for you (this build will probably not ever rely on Eldricht Blast for damage since it's very melee / STR focused).
So, in your build, remove the 2nd level of Warlock to get the precious 5th level of Fighter. :)

[JellyPooga]

Actually I'm pretty sure you would have 6th level spells once you take this first level of sorcerer.

2 (Druid) +1 (Ranger 2) +1 (Paladin 2) +1 (Cleric) +2 (Wizard) +1 (Bard) +1 (Sorcerer) = 9th level effective = 5th level slots.


Hey, interesting build, I didn't think about this approach.

Thanks. Oops! Yeah, I originally accounted only for 4 levels of Fighter and later thought about Extra Attack, but didn't recalculate level.

Monk, Bard and Sorcerer are all pretty redundant in this build; you would definitely be better served taking level in any other Class than taking a single level in each of them. At least Bard and Sorcerer are giving you higher level spell slots though!

I tend to agree on taking away the 2nd level of Warlock; 2nd level Ranger gives us a precious spellcasting level most importantly. Three Fighting Styles is somewhat redundant, so I wouldn't be too fussed about that, but as you say; the Invocations available at Warlock 2 aren't that great (but some are very fun, like Mask of Many Faces!).

I don't think it makes a lot of odds which Class you take to that higher level (4 or 5); Fighter, Ranger or Paladin all grant Extra Attack at 5th and have some nice features along the way and Spellcasting Classes will give you access to higher level spells known. I think it should be noted that it's definitely worth taking one Class to that slightly higher level instead of trying to distribute it across the board. There's not enough front-loaded Classes for that to work and using Standard Array you need that ASI to make the Multiclassing work (although I still think Point Buy is better for this than Array).

[Citan]

2 (Druid) +1 (Ranger 2) +1 (Paladin 2) +1 (Cleric) +2 (Wizard) +1 (Bard) +1 (Sorcerer) = 9th level effective = 5th level slots.



Thanks. Oops! Yeah, I originally accounted only for 4 levels of Fighter and later thought about Extra Attack, but didn't recalculate level.

Monk, Bard and Sorcerer are all pretty redundant in this build; you would definitely be better served taking level in any other Class than taking a single level in each of them. At least Bard and Sorcerer are giving you higher level spell slots though!

I tend to agree on taking away the 2nd level of Warlock; 2nd level Ranger gives us a precious spellcasting level most importantly. Three Fighting Styles is somewhat redundant, so I wouldn't be too fussed about that, but as you say; the Invocations available at Warlock 2 aren't that great (but some are very fun, like Mask of Many Faces!).

I don't think it makes a lot of odds which Class you take to that higher level (4 or 5); Fighter, Ranger or Paladin all grant Extra Attack at 5th and have some nice features along the way and Spellcasting Classes will give you access to higher level spells known. I think it should be noted that it's definitely worth taking one Class to that slightly higher level instead of trying to distribute it across the board. There's not enough front-loaded Classes for that to work and using Standard Array you need that ASI to make the Multiclassing work (although I still think Point Buy is better for this than Array).
1. You're right, some Invocations are pretty interesting even for this build. I myself forgot that Figher 1 AND Paladin 2+ would give already 2 Fighting Styles which is generally enough.
Sooo, in fact I'd say imo Ranger or Warlock are equal in opportunity, unless we take UA Fighting Styles into account. If so, for a ranged weapon build, Paladin: Defense or Mariner, Fighter: Close Quarter Shooters, Ranger: Archery would bring more than the Warlock.
For a melee weapon build, Dueling/TWF/GW + Protection and Tunnel Fighter can make a great tank.

With that said, if UA is allowed, keeping Undying Light warlock 2 for empowered EB and GFB then combo CSQ + Tunnel Fighter could be great too. :)

2. I agree with you that all in all, whatever martial class you choose to get Extra Attack will always bring similar value, although in different ways.
I just quoted Paladin here because in my build which also already took 2 levels in it for smite, it meant only only 3 more levels required for Extra Attack (meaning a few levels to dispatch elsewhere).

3. Somewhat agree with you on the point that Monk, Bard and Sorcerer are redundant, in the sense that the lvl 1 is not so front-loaded compared to other classes. With that said, Draconic Sorcerer brings extra HP and Bard brings a small reroll ability. And each bring cantrips and spells that are unavailable to the other (although they are indeed redundant with other spellcasters, Druid/Cleric for Bard, Wizard for Sorcerer). Whereas all Monk's 1st level abilities heavily rely on its own stats, resource and playstyle, meaning it meshes bad in this kind of build (writing this makes me realize my homebrew suffers a bit from this problem, so, thanks to the thread \o/).